Beef Stroganov

I am back. I am overcoming my kitchen aversion and tonight I booted AB from the kitchen and took over dinner. What resulted was a most fantastic beef stroganov. Truly fantastic flavor. Well what do you expect from a roux with sour cream.

I would double the sauce recipe but only because I like stroganov sauce on my noodles, lots of it. And this didn't make enough sauce for my taste. Also I wasn't extravagent, I didn't use tenderloin. I used a good sized sirloin instead. Oh and it really did only take about 35 minutes of active time.

Beef Stroganov
Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 35 min

This recipe makes good use of the tail-end portion of a tenderloin.
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
1 (1-lb) piece beef tenderloin, trimmed, sliced 1/4 inch thick, then cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallot
3/4 lb cremini mushrooms, trimmed and halved (quartered if large)
3 tablespoons sour cream at room temperature
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Accompaniment: buttered wide egg noodles

Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a small heavy saucepan over moderate heat and whisk in flour, then cook roux, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Add broth in a slow stream, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Pat beef dry and season well with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Sauté beef in two batches, turning once, until browned on both sides but still pink inside, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Heat remaining tablespoon butter with remaining tablespoon oil in same skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté shallot, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms are browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Return meat with its juices to skillet and stir to combine, then transfer to a platter.

Reheat sauce over low heat (do not let boil), then whisk in sour cream, mustard, dill, salt, and pepper. Pour sauce over beef and serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

GourmetOctober 2001

Magic Chocolate Chip Cookies

A great cookie reciepe using less sugar, no butter and no eggs. They are low in fat, have no cholesterol but are so good. My 4 year old agrees.

These cookies use only a third of the sugar called in most conventional cookie recipes and the butter is replaced with applesauce. These are excent. I bet if you don't mention the ingrediants to anyone they would never know.

2 Cups Whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup natural granulated sugar (or regular if that is all you have)
1 Cup applesauce (unsweetened if possible)
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1 cup chocolate chips - semisweet (preferable cane juice sweetened)
Variations - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1-1/2 cups granola

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets
2. Combine four, baking powder, baking soda and sugar in a mixing bowl and stir together.
3. Make a well in the center and add the applesauce and oil. Stir together until the wet and dry ingrediants are completely mixed, adding a bit more applesauce if needed to make a smooth and slightly stiff batter.
4. Stir in the additional ingrediants. Drop the batter onto the prepared sheets in slightly rounded tablespoons about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms are just slightly browned. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes, then carefully remove with a spatula to a rack or plates to cool.

enjoy

Baked Rigatoni

Yes, super easy. But Leif had 4 servings last night. It is his all time favorite.

1 package rigatoni noodles, cooked al dente
Spaghetti sauce (whatever you like, we use AB's frozen sauce from last fall, but are nearly out... sob)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray. Place the cooked noodles in the casserole dish. Cover the top with sauce, then the cheeses. Bake until cheese starts to brown.

You can obviously dress this up a little. Try different cheeses, add some meat. Toss a green salad to serve on the side. Ultra-quick dinner.

Halibut poached in olive oil

This recipe is my tribute to Harold winning Top Chef the other night. He is my cooking hero (plus, he is hot). And I so want to go eat in his restaurant after it opens. One of his winning courses featured bass poached in olive oil. I was so thrilled because not only did I know how to make this, but it is one of my favorite ways to cook dense fish. It comes out so moist you don't need a sauce (although I prefer sauces with my fish typically.)

When I first saw this preparation I was skeptical. I thought it would be greasy and basically just "fish and chips" style fish, without the breading on the fish. But it is so much more than that.

Halibut (or other dense fish like bass or even tuna)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Find a dish that closely matches the size of the fish fillets you have. I usually cook two fillets in a small about 3" x 9" ceramic dish that is about 3" deep. Season the fish well with salt and pepper. Place the fillets in the dish flat and cover in olive oil. Place in oven and bake about 40 minutes or until fish flakes when pricked with a fork. Drain off the olive oil and re-season with salt and pepper. (Harold got dinged for this on the Top Chef finale, as one of the judges said, "everyone knows that if you cook fish in fat you have to reseason it"... well I learned something new last night.)

Serve with your choice of sauce, or without.

Enjoy!

Pad Thai

So I hate to move the wonderful recipes down, but in the interest of what works... last night's quick dinner was Pad Thai from a box. It's easy, fast and tastes good. AB cooked it with chicken, but you can go veggie or use beef , pork or seafood instead. And bonus, even Leif likes the noodles.

We buy extra noodles and also extra "seemingly authentic sauce" from the local Oriental grocer. Brown the chicken, follow the directions on the pack, add veggies as needed (we use broccoli or green beans usually), brown noodles lightly (we like a little crisp to them) and toss with bean sprouts and peanuts and serve with lime wedges.

Quick Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

This is a wonderful meal. Sounds a bit strange at first maybe but it all mixes so well together.

From The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas

2 medium-large sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons light or extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 to 3 garlic cloves
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
One 32 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
One 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 or 2 small fresh hot chilies, minced or one 4 ounce can chopped mild green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 dried oregano
Salt to taste

1. Bake or microwave the sweet potatoes on high until just firm, about 3 to 4 minutes per potato. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 3/4 inch dice. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large pot. Add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until golden. Add the bell pepper, beans, tomatoes, chilies, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Season lightly with salt. If time allows, let stand off the heat for 1 or 2 hours, then heat through as needed.

Embellish it: Pass a bowl of chopped fresh cilantro for sprinkling over the top of individual portions.

Make it a meal: For an easy meal, serve this with cornbread or other hearty whole-grain bread and a bountiful tossed salad.

Christmas Morning Wife Saver (my favorite brunch!)

April, this is for you. In fact, when I read about your Easter Morning yeast-induced fiasco (and laughed myself silly), I thought of this recipe. But before the recipe, here is the backstory:

This baked brunch dish is a Canadian tradition that was first published, to my knowledge, in "The Best of Bridge Cookbooks." These, are, in my opinion, the best cookbooks, ever, with consistently good, useful, normal-ingredient recipes compiled by an Alberta bridge club. This series has become quite an empire for these ladies, and this recipe is the foundation of it - there are a slew of other recipes equally associated with them, but this is the first big one.

In my family, a riot is likely to break out if it isn't served Christmas morning as it has been for at least 20 years. Now that my sisters and I all have our own families, even when we don't go home to our parents, we make this every Christmas. The first Christmas I spent with my husband's family, I woke up mourning my traditional breakfast, but was thrilled when I learned that his sister-in-law made it, too. In fact, I'll bet that every third house has this Christmas morning, at least in Western Canada! I feel extra pampered when we have this for a non-Christmas brunch.

The logic behind the name, "Christmas Morning Wife Saver" is that you make the recipe up the night before, but in fact you can do this long before you plan on serving it (a couple months?), wrap it tightly and freeze it (also, when I freeze one, I tape a ziplock baggy with the cereal, but no butter, to the top of the casserole so I don't forget the topping). Christmas eve, you take it out and let it thaw on the counter, then in the fridge so that by Christmas morning, you just have to pop it in the oven (still works if it is a little frozen). It bakes for 1 hour, then rests for at least 10 minutes - the perfect amount of time to open gifts while the house fills with the yummy aroma of it baking. (No fussing with yeast!)

The cookbook suggests serving this with fresh fruit and their special cinnamon buns, but I find the buns to be too much with the wife-saver. My favorite side dish is fresh cut pineapple to contrast with the warmth and comfort-food character of the wife-saver, and a few fresh strawberries for colour. I almost always have one in my freezer, "just in case." Also note that the recipe is for a 9x13 pan and serves 6-8, depending on appetite. I usually make up 2 recipes worth and make one full 9x13 and 2, 8x8 pans worth (I mix the egg-milk solution up in separate batches, so that no pan gets shortchanged of onion/peppers). I prefer using glass pans, but usually make the 8x8 versions in the foil pans you can get at the grocery store, because they fit perfectly inside a 1-gallon ziplock for freezing. The smaller ones are nice for our small family, while the larger is good for when the grandparents join us.

Christmas Morning Wife Saver
16 Slices white bread, crusts removed (ie, cut into squares - use a firm sandwich bread, or I use my homemade, sliced a bit thinner than usual. The bread has to be white, but something like wonderbread would be awful in this...)
Sliced canadian back bacon or ham (Maybe half a pound? I usually just get the vac-packs of backbacon and slice half of it into 8 slices at home - if I don't use back bacon, I use shaved black forest ham)
Slices of sharp cheddar cheese (the same amount as the ham)
6 eggs
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2-1 tsp dry mustard
1/4 cup minced onioni
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper (the original recipe uses green, but I far prefer red in this recipe, plus it is prettier)
1-2 tsp worcestershire sauce
dash tabasco
3 cups milk (skim works...)
1/4 lb butter
at least 2 cups coarsely crushed cornflakes or special K

In a 9x13" buttered glass baking dish, put 8 pieces of bread. Add partial pieces, if needed to cover dish entirely (but you don't have to cram it in). Cover bread with bacon or ham. Top with slices of cheddar cheese. Cover with slices of bread, as on bottom.

In a bowl (where else?), beat eggs and pepper. Add mustard, onion, red pepper, worcestershire sauce, milk, and tabasco. Pour over bread, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, melt butter and mix with cereal. Sprinkle over bread.

Bake at 350F, uncovered, 1 hour. Let sit 10 minues before serving.

Chili-Grilled Tuna over a "Bright" Salad

We had this tonight and loved it - it really fits this blog.

This is one of our favorite recipes and really fast and easy. Several years ago we had a couple of really nice ahi steaks and I made up this recipe. For once, it is a recipe that I rarely modify because I think I got it right the first time. I'm guessing at quantities, because I eyeball and taste the marinade until I'm happy, and part of the guesstimate is that (for some reason) I always mix the marinade up in an old scotch glass.

BTW, our daughter had some yellow pepper strips and leftover rice pilaf and chicken. She wasn't interested in the tuna, but she didn't throw it across the kitchen, either. So there is hope for a future fish-eater, right?

Chili-Grilled Tuna

a fairly thick cut of ahi tuna, maybe 1 lb?

Marinade:
~3 T toasted sesame oil (I aim for just a nutty hint in the flavour)
~1 T garlic chili paste (I love the kick!)
the juice of one lime (I like my marinade fairly lime-y)
generous pinch salt (Forgetting this really ruins the overall flavour)

Whisk together with a fork until blended. I like to put the steak in a ziplock and pour the marinade over it so I can squish the air out and "push" the marinade all around the meat. Let sit for 30 minutes to an hour (depending on how long your husband takes to get home). Flip it over a couple times if you remember - but don't worry if you forget, because that was why we squished the air out.

Grill tuna to desired doneness. As much as I love seared, rare tuna in good restaurants, I prefer to slightly overcook mine at home, so it is barely pink in the middle. We usually serve this tuna over a simple, "bright" salad (example below).

Simple "Bright" Salad
(I call this a bright salad because I pick multiple colours and use no oil in the dressing)

"Core" ingredients that I always use
Mixed baby greens (I like the colourful ones!)
Yellow or orange pepper, julienned (I use red, too, but I like the yellow/orange contrast with the tomatoes)
Red tomato, sliced in thin wedges
Green onion, in 1-inch chunks
Cucumber, in bite-sized chunks
Half of a tart apple, in small chunks

I may also include:
Raspberries
Blueberries
Croutons
Snap peas, cut into 1-inch chunks
A mild feta or raw mozzarella
?Anything else I feel like?

Dress with a generous splash of white balsamic vinegar, lots of freshly ground black pepper, and a generous sprinkle of salt (too little salt and it is "flat"). We ran out of white balsamic vinegar tonight, so I used some bing cherry balsamic vinegar and it was terrific (we had raspberries in tonight's salad, too).

Upcoming Mother's Day

So enlighten me. What do you want cooked for you on your day? Will you do the cooking, or will someone else?

And my very important request... give me Mother's Day brunch ideas! My mom and stepdad will be here and flying out about mid-afternoon Sunday. So I want some great ideas for a fabulous brunch. Dinner? That's up to AB!